Egypt thwarts 27 "child marriages" during Eid al-Fitr

On Friday, the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood in Egypt announced that it had thwarted 27 attempts to marry children in 9 governorates, which were scheduled during the days of Eid al-Fitr.

The Council cooperated with the Public Prosecution, the Ministry of Interior, the Child Protection Committees in the governorates, and partner associations with the Child Helpline, by providing awareness and family guidance to girls' families about the dangers and harms of child marriage, and signing declarations not to complete the marriage procedures before reaching the legal age.

Deputy Minister of Health and Population for Population, who supervises the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, Tariq Tawfiq, said that the council "spare no effort to support children's rights and protect them from all forms of violence, abuse or neglect to which they may be exposed, and take all measures that would stop exposing children to danger and the elimination of violence.

Tawfiq stressed to “Sky News Arabia” the importance of marrying a girl of legal age “to not deprive her of completing education, reaching maturity in emotional, social, physical and mental terms, and expanding the scope for developing her skills, developing her cognitive capabilities, discovering herself and knowing the extent of her ability to assume public and family responsibility.” ".

Regarding the most prominent cases that were rescued, the supervisor of the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood explained that she was a 16-year-old girl from Beheira Governorate, who ran away after her father intended to marry her. A report was written and her father was summoned, who pledged after completing the marriage procedures.

The Deputy Minister of Health and Population appealed to citizens to "rapidly report any incidents of violation through the child helpline number 16000, which operates 24 hours a day, or through the (Nabat Misr) application, which was launched to be one of the multiple means that allows access to the protection mechanism easily."

The application provides reporting, support and advice services in complete confidentiality for the data of callers and whistleblowers, with a package of health, psychological and legal information available, and instructions on positive parenting methods that concern the Egyptian family.

It is noteworthy that the Egyptian Penal Code sets the penalty for anyone who participates in the marriage of any children without reaching the legal age, with imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years or a fine. 

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